


Best Damn Apology I Ever Got

by devilishdiadem



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Caring Ron and Hermione, Concerned Ron and Hermione, F/M, Fluff, Golden Trio, Honeydukes, I really suck at tagging Jesus, Ignorant Boys, Ignorant Harry, Marauder's Map, Post-Yule Ball, Romantic Fluff, Secret Passageway, Shy Harry, Strong Female Characters, Strong Parvati Patil, Sweet Harry, Sweet Parvati, The Golden Trio, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), repost from FanFiction.net, reposted from FFnet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27721993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilishdiadem/pseuds/devilishdiadem
Summary: Harry apologizes to Parvati for his behavior at the Yule Ball and offers to make it up to her.
Relationships: Parvati Patil/Harry Potter
Kudos: 45





	Best Damn Apology I Ever Got

It was a brisk January morning as Harry, Ron, and Hermione traipsed out of a Transfiguration lesson on their way to lunch. Looking at Hermione as she spoke, Harry spotted someone over her shoulder exiting the classroom as well. It was Parvati. Harry felt suddenly guilty. He had never apologized to her for his behavior at the Yule Ball.

“Hey,” he said quickly to Ron and Hermione, “I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit, okay?”

They nodded and continued towards the Great Hall. 

“Parvati!” Harry called, running up to her. “Could I talk to you for a second?” Lavender stood next to her best friend and shot him a stern look, one that said, “Don’t hurt her again.”

Harry frowned and shot Lavender an apologetic look as she made her way to the Great Hall. Harry and Parvati now stood alone in the corridor. The two stood in silence for a few seconds until Harry cleared his throat and began to speak.

“Um, I’m — I’m really sorry, Parvati,” Harry mumbled, staring at the floor and nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Parvati didn’t respond and she was so silent that Harry looked up, wondering if she had walked away.

She was still there, but her eyes which were normally a warm brown, were fixed on him in a cold glare.  
“Is that the best you can do?” she snapped.

Harry averted his gaze again as she huffed in annoyance.

“Harry, I went with you, not because you were a champion or the Boy-Who-Lived, but because you were my friend and I thought we’d have fun,” she said, her voice oddly calm and cool. “But instead, you danced with me one time, spending the entirety of the night drooling over Cho Chang and sending angry looks at Cedric.” She sighed. “I get that you wanted to ask her, Harry, and that you were angry because Cedric asked her first, but that was no reason to make my night miserable.”

“I — I thought you were dancing with — with that Beauxbatons boy,” Harry mumbled. 

“We danced a couple times.” Parvati shrugged. “But I had wanted to go with you. He hardly understood anything I said, and anyways, he kept looking over at at Lavender,” she finished.

“I – I don’t really know how to do this,” Harry admitted sheepishly, looking up at Parvati. Her gaze softened ever so slightly. 

“I know you don’t have much experience with girls, Harry,” she said, her voice slightly warmer. “But can you at least give me a proper apology, not one that you mumble out while staring at the floor?”

Taking a deep breath, Harry clenched his fists and fixed his eyes on hers. “Parvati, I am really really sorry about the Ball. I should’ve payed more attention to you and danced with you more. I’d like to make it up to you.” Parvati nodded, a soft smile forming on her face as Harry continued. “Would you please let me take you to Hogsmeade on the next Hogsmeade weekend? Or before?” he added instinctively.

“What do you mean, before?” Parvati asked skeptically.

Harry smiled slightly, running a hand through his hair nervously. “Ahh… let’s just say that I know a way we could go and get our fill of Honeydukes sweets without having to wait for the next Hogsmeade trip.”

“Well, in that case,” Parvati said, eyeing him curiously, “I would love to go with you. When should we go?”

“How about tonight?” Harry said. “Unless you want to do your Transfiguration essay tonight.”

Parvati shook her head with a smile. “It can wait,” she said. She shrugged her bag onto her shoulder and started off towards the Great Hall. “See you about ten o’clock tonight outside the common room?” she called to him. He nodded to her, before following her to the Gryffindor table where he sat down next to Ron, Hermione across from them. 

“Where were you?” Ron asked as Harry hastily grabbed a piece of Shepherd’s pie, knowing it would all vanish soon.

“Talking to Parvati,” Harry said. “Listen, I think you should apologize to Padma for what happened at the Ball.”

Ron nodded, humming in response. 

“Hey,” Harry began, “just go up and talk to her as a friend, apologize, and then ask if she wants to get some biscuits from the kitchens or something.”

Ron nodded. “Alright, I can do that, I guess.”

Harry patted Ron’s shoulder.

“What did you tell Parvati?” Hermione asked.

“I apologized to her and then asked her if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me,” Harry replied.

“Oh, that’s in just a couple of weeks, I think,” Hermione said, digging into a piece of apple pie.

Harry swallowed a bite of pie. “Well, we’re actually going tonight. We’ll go through the secret passage.”

Hermione turned her eyes on him. “Harry, there’s someone in the school who’s trying to kill you. Do you really think it’s a good idea to go traipsing about the school at night?”

“It’s only one night, Herms. And he’ll be careful, won’t he?” Ron turned a concerned gaze on Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I’ll be careful,” he said. “Ya’ll worry too much.”

A second later, Harry got a slap on the back of the head from Ron and a spoonful of mashed potatoes in the face from Hermione.

“Hey,” Harry said quietly, exiting the Gryffindor Common Room, the cloak and the Marauder’s Map tucked under his arm.

“Hi,” Parvati greeted. 

“She looks really pretty,” Harry thought. Neither of them were wearing their school robes. Instead, Parvati wore a bright blue nightdress with a thick, gray cloak wrapped around her shoulders; her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes sparkled with excitement and intrigue. Harry wore a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt under his new Weasley sweater.

“Shall we?” Parvati said. Harry blinked.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Harry felt himself blush. “It’s this way,” he said, gesturing towards the nearby staircase. “You know that statue on the third floor of the one-eyed witch?”

“Gunhilda of Gorsemoor?” Parvati said.

“I – what?” Harry laughed. “Is that what she’s really called?”

Parvati nodded. “Yeah, she’s actually a famous witch. She died a long time ago, but she was famous for finding a cure for Dragon Pox.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” Harry said. “Here.” He swung the Invisibility Cloak around them both and they started off, Harry checking the map occasionally. He lowered his voice. “I thought she was just, you know, a statue of a witch.”

“Padma told me,” Parvati said quietly. “She loves learning about old witches and wizards. History of Magic is her best subject. I have no idea how she does it.” She laughed.

Harry laughed too. “Yeah, I can’t keep anything Binns says straight. Ron and I are lucky to have Hermione always taking notes for us.”

Parvati laughed again, but this time softer. “Yeah, it’s kinda obvious how close you and Ron are. Everyone could see how depressed you two were when you were fighting. I’m glad you two have made up. Hermione is too by the way.”

Harry looked over at her. “What do you mean?”

Parvati gave him an ‘are you crazy’ look. “Harry, that girl loves you and Ron to pieces. You guys are her best friends. She couldn’t stand it when you were fighting. She cried herself to sleep out of pure joy after the First Task, after you and Ron made up.”

Harry made a mental note to give Hermione a hug the next morning.

After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, they reached the statue of Gunhilda. 

“Well, how’re you this fine evening, Gunhilda?” Harry whisper-asked, dramatically bowing as much as possible without revealing their feet beneath the cloak.

Parvati giggled, but instead of finding it annoying like he usually did when girls giggled, Harry actually found it charming.

He pulled out his wand, pointed it the statue, and muttered, “Dissendium.”

The stone hump slid away and Parvati gasped. Harry took the cloak off and stuffed it in his pocket, before jumping into the stone slide. He held himself there and looked up at Parvati. 

“Okay, so it’s basically just a stone slide. We’ll slide for a minute and then land in kind of a dark tunnel.” 

Parvati nodded and Harry let go, sliding down through the dark. He soon reached the bottom and stood up, trying to brush the dust off his sweater. A few moments later, Parvati came sliding down where he had just landed. Harry lit his wand with one hand and held the other out to Parvati. She took it and smiled. 

“Well, that was exciting!” she said, taking out her own wand and lighting it.

“This way,” Harry said, gesturing at a fork in the tunnel. They walked in silence until they reached the end. Opening the trapdoor and helping Parvati through, Harry swung the Invisibility Cloak over them again, just in case a stray employee was still there. He doubted it, considering the time, but he really did not want to be caught, especially since someone was, as Hermione had so elegantly stated earlier, trying to murder him.

Luckily, the shop was empty. It smelled delicious and Harry took the cloak back off them, stuffing it back into his pocket.

“I – uh –” he began. Parvati turned to him. “I brought some money, and I thought we could leave it, you know?”

Parvati smiled. “I like the rebellious side of you.” She turned and grabbed a handful of Chocolate Frogs while Harry pulled a handful of Galleons out of his pocket.

He tossed them onto the counter and walked around with Parvati, eating candy and throwing extra into their pockets. They walked around for a few minutes until they got tired of looking at the treats, then Harry unlocked the door and they stepped out into the chilly night air. They walked down the lane, looking at the shops and storefronts and posters, everything that was hard to admire when the village was packed with people.

“I didn’t think about it being so chilly outside of the castle,” Parvati mused, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Harry looked at her, suddenly feeling quite stupid. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Here.” He took off his sweater and handed it to her, leaving him in only his t-shirt. He felt goosepimples rise on his skin, but he couldn’t tell whether it was because of the cold temperature or of the sight of Parvati wearing his sweater.

“It’s a beautiful sweater,” Parvati marveled, pulling it over her nightdress before pulling her cloak around her shoulders again.

“Thanks,” Harry replied, moving his eyes from Parvati’s face to the street in front of them. “Mrs. Weasley made it for me.”

They walked in silence again for a while, neither one of them sure of where they were going as they were just enjoying each other’s company.

Eventually, after wandering around the lane, looking at the many shops and making small comments every now and then, Harry looked at Parvati.

“Do you – um – do you think we should head back?”

She looked at him. “I suppose so.”

Harry noticed how she said it rather half-heartedly and quickly added, “Maybe we could come again soon? Maybe on the next Hogsmeade weekend when we can get some warm butterbeer?” he said with a stuttered laugh through chattering teeth.

Parvati smiled. “I’d like that,” she said softly, taking a small step closer to Harry.

“I – um – I would too,” Harry said, lowering his voice as her face got closer to his. 

Her brown eyes stared into his green ones. Harry looked at her deeply, eyes roaming over her face. He bent his head forward ever so slightly, brushing his lips against hers. But then realization hit him, and he pulled back, blinking.

“I – uh – I’m sorry if you – er –” he stuttered.

“Don’t be,” Parvati breathed, her hand on his shoulder. She pulled him forward gently and kissed him again.

Their lips were pressed together for minutes it seemed. When they broke apart, Parvati glanced up at the sky. Clouds gathered, the wind picked up; the temperature had lowered, and something cold landed on Harry’s cheek. Harry followed her gaze upwards and saw that snowflakes were being sprinkled and scattered across the ground around them.

Harry and Parvati lowered their gazes and looked back at each other. Then, laughing to themselves, they took each other’s hand and scampered down the street back towards Honeydukes. It took them longer than it should’ve because they ran through deserted alleyways, and had a mini snowball fight with what small amount of snow had fallen. By the time they reached Honeydukes, their faces were red and flushed. Harry could barely feel his fingers, but his heart felt the most alive since he’d fought the Horntail. 

The journey back to the Gryffindor Common Room was a long one, but Harry didn’t really notice. Him and Parvati stayed silent under the Invisibility Cloak, exchanging glances every now and then, neither feeling the need to mention that they were holding hands.

“Fairy lights,” Harry muttered to the half-asleep Fat Lady. She didn’t hear him, so he asked again, louder. 

Waking up with an annoyed glare, the Fat Lady let them in, muttering about students and how they should respect others more.

Harry and Parvati continued to hold hands until they reached the staircases that separated their dormitories.

“Ah… so… goodnight, I guess,” Harry said awkwardly, letting go of her hand, yet instantly missing the reassuring pressure that it provided. He looked at her for another second, then they both moved towards the stairs to their dormitories.

“Oh, here,” Parvati said. Harry glanced back. She was pulling his sweater over her head, the silver threads shining a little in the firelight.

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled, taking it from her. “You know, I — I had fun tonight.”

“Me too,” Parvati said, her hand brushing against his as she let go of the sweater. She blinked, stepped closer, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Best damn apology I ever got.”

And with that, she smiled shyly, turned, and moved upstairs. Harry watched her until she was out of sight, then went up to his own bed. He patted Ron’s shoulder lightly as he passed to reassure him that he was back and safe before changing into some pajamas. He climbed into his bunk and fell asleep quickly, realizing that — for what was probably the first time in his life — not every girl needed to be a Quidditch player to be perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> If there's any typos I'm terribly sorry ya'll. Blame REO I was listening to them while revamping this to get ready to be posted.


End file.
